A scathing report from Nebraska’s auditor revealed a tangled web inside the state’s Department of Health and Human Services and led to an arrest.Judith Widener is accused of taking money from the elderly and disabled. Widener is not a DHHS employee but she handled accounts for hundreds of wards.Read the auditor's reportWidener was charged with felony theft after a report by Auditor Mike Foley. DHHS officials said all payments to Widener have been stopped following her arrest.Video: Audit: Woman steals from Neb. assistance programAlthough DHHS officials disagreed with many of the auditor’s specific findings, they acknowledged making inaccurate payments. The state says Haven, a nonprofit in Gering, was anything but safe for clients and their money.Widener allegedly plundered the bank accounts of blind and disabled clients she had guardianship over, police said.She was allegedly involved in more than 600 cases, including 116 in Scottsbluff and 32 in the Omaha area.“I thought to myself, ‘How can someone be the legal guardian for hundreds of people at the same time?’” Foley said.Widener had signature authority for 40 different bank accounts with a balance total of more than $600,000, according to the audit.“Basically, it’s taking money from different protected people or sometimes it was someone who was deceased,” Scottsbluff County Attorney Doug Warner said.Widener is charged with stealing a few thousand dollars, Warner said.“I think the number we’re comfortable with is closer to $10,000 or $12,000,” Warner said.The auditor’s report shows Widener deposited state checks written to her clients into her business account.“The accounting records revealed that she paid herself $500 Christmas gifts, $500 birthday gifts and we have also seen some of her involvement with casino gambling,” Foley said.During questioning, Widener admitted using money to pay for personal expenses, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.“HHS, for its part, ignored a number of glaring red flags,” Foley said.Widener appeared in court Monday to face the felony theft charges. Foley said more charges might follow.DHHS officials said it made payments to Widener for three people she was not the legal guardian for.

GERING, Neb. —

A scathing report from Nebraska’s auditor revealed a tangled web inside the state’s Department of Health and Human Services and led to an arrest.

Judith Widener is accused of taking money from the elderly and disabled. Widener is not a DHHS employee but she handled accounts for hundreds of wards.

Although DHHS officials disagreed with many of the auditor’s specific findings, they acknowledged making inaccurate payments. The state says Haven, a nonprofit in Gering, was anything but safe for clients and their money.